Allegations of widespread fraud within the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation have ignited demands for President Bola Tinubu to investigate his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.
"Tinubu should probe Buhari’s government. Under that (Buhari) administration, corruption became an epidemic in Nigeria. If Tinubu is serious about fighting corruption, there is no way some officials under Buhari’s government will not be prosecuted. If Buhari’s government is not probed, Tinubu should forget about fighting corruption," said Willy Ezugwu, Secretary General of the Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties.
The NSIPA, established by Buhari in 2016, and its overseeing ministry have faced accusations of corruption and mismanagement. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently detained the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, and the suspended NSIPA National Coordinator, Halima Shehu, over allegations of misappropriating N37.1 billion in social intervention funds.
"Now, can we say that what the Ministry has done so far is equivalent to the mass stealing that has been perpetrated? No. There was not even any need for the creation of that Ministry. If you have a Ministry of Women Affairs, you can domicile whatever department you want to create under it, not creating a full-fledged Ministry," expressed Ibrahim Zikirullahi, Executive Director of the Resource Center for Human Rights and Civic Education.
Despite these challenges, the Ministry, now known as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, remains embroiled in fraud allegations. President Tinubu has responded by suspending the CEOs of both institutions, Betta Edu and Halima Shehu, and instituting a six-week suspension of all NSIPA programmes.
While many Nigerians have commended Tinubu for moving quickly to suspend Edu and Usman, as well as the NSIPA programmes, the President is being asked to go further by probing the Buhari administration.
